News Archive
2021 News Releases
January 29, 2021
Women in STEM: Picture a Scientist
Women from all different stages of their scientific careers, from undergraduate students through the UC San Diego Vice Chancellor for Research, met virtually to share their experiences as women in STEM for the UC San Diego Bioengineering Diversity Council’s Winter Quarter Town Hall. Full Story
January 26, 2021
A call to end funding discrimination against Black scientists in the United States
Representatives from a network of women deans, chairs and distinguished faculty in biomedical engineering are calling upon the National Institutes of Health and other funding agencies to address disparities in allocating support to Black researchers. The group made the call to action in the Jan. 26, 2021 issue of the journal Cell. Full Story
January 26, 2021
The Spectacular Synthesis of Spider Silk
For David Breslauer, a UC San Diego bioengineering alumnus and co-founder and chief scientific officer at Bolt Threads, a bioengineering company in Emeryville, Calif., the potential of the spider and the mushroom represent not just another way to make apparel, but a way to bring greater sustainability to the clothing industry. Full Story
January 21, 2021
UC San Diego Alumnus at Helm of Company Behind First At-Home COVID Test
In November 2020, Lucira Health received emergency use authorization for the first rapid at-home COVID-19 test from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Erik Engelson, a UC San Diego bioengineering and microbiology alumnus, is president and CEO of Lucira Health. He spoke about the process of getting the COVID-19 test kit through FDA emergency use authorization, his time at UC San Diego, and advice for students, in this Q&A. Full Story
January 13, 2021
UC San Diego professor Bernhard O. Palsson named Y.C. Fung Endowed Chair in Bioengineering
University of California San Diego professor Bernhard O. Palsson has been named the Y.C. Fung Endowed Chair in Bioengineering at the Jacobs School of Engineering. Palsson is also a professor of pediatrics, and Director of the Center for Biosustainability. Palsson’s research focuses on developing experimental and computational models of the red blood cell, E. coli, CHO cells, and several human pathogens to establish their systems biology. His Systems Biology Research Group leverages high-power computing to build interactive databases of biological information and is increasingly focused on Genome Design and Engineering. Full Story